A Critical Look at David Fincher’s “Panic Room”
David Fincher’s “Panic Room,” upon its release, swiftly ascended to the pinnacle of the American box office. The film orbits around a divorced woman, portrayed by Jodie Foster, and her teenage daughter as they unearth a concealed panic room within their recently acquired residence. While initially promising, the film ultimately doesn’t stand with Fincher’s most celebrated works. Fincher’s filmography represents a blend of cinematic excellence, featuring masterpieces such as “Seven” and “Fight Club”, however it also includes less inspiring endeavors like “The Game.” Sadly, “Panic Room” leans towards the latter end of this spectrum.
Fincher’s experience in directing commercials for prominent brands like Budweiser and music videos for Madonna is clearly visible in his astute understanding of color, light, and camera work. The house in the film is very often represented with a greenish, hazy tint, effectively generating an unsettling and uneasy atmosphere. The opening scenes aptly convey the characters’ emotional states, highlighting the sadness and vulnerability experienced by a recently divorced mother and her daughter in their unfamiliar home. Nonetheless, a sense of artificiality soon emerges, diminishing the film’s initial potential.
After a bath and a glass of wine, Jodie Foster’s character settles down. Subsequently, the camera embarks on a journey around the house at floor level, akin to a venomous snake, stealthily infiltrating the daughter’s room, the mother’s room, even momentarily focusing on an empty glass, before darting through the corridors. However, this suspenseful build-up ultimately leads to three burglars breaching the house. This begs the question: what was the intention behind the suspenseful camera movement if it remained unrelated to the unfolding plot? It feels like a scare tactic that is used through many parts of the film without adding real value to the plot.
The Hampered Potential of Plot
The plot of “Panic Room” treads well-worn ground, paralleling many invasion stories. The “hook” is the panic room itself: a secure sanctuary, complete with a reinforced door, Surveillance monitors, a separate phone line, and a stockpile of supplies. It’s almost a visualization of a dream in a post 9/11 era. The viewers find that The mother isn’t able to connect the phone line, leaving the group exposed in their fortress. Meanwhile, the burglars are targeting the panic room, believing it contains hidden wealth left from the previous owners. This sets up a long cat and mouse game as the burglars try everything to to break open the room.
Moments of suspense were sometimes not built well. An example would be when one of the burglars (played by Forrest Whitaker) figures out he can utilize propane to flood the ventilation system in the room. The surveillance system doesn’t get used to it’s potential as something to watch the group or add extra element, such as voyeurism or the blurring of lines and virtual reality, but is sadly underutilized.
Style Over Substance and Memorable Moments
In regards to value, the movie does bring the occasional clever line and depth by Whitaker’s portrayal of a disturbed burglar who presents an alternative for our main character. When the daughter is providing morse code with a flashlight, which is prompted when her mother asked her how’s she learned it, in which she responds, “Titanic”. These small clever moments are highlights, but they end up being forgettable due to everything else. An at home experience may be suitable to watch and play crosswords.
The movie has over $30million as gross income, which had a budget of under $50 million. This can be suggested that marketing was more of a success than the actual quality of the film itself.
Casting was an initial issue, as the main role was written for Nicole Kidman, but soon after she had to drop due to an injury she acquired during the filming of “Moulin Rouge.” Afterward Foster had been cast to replace Kidman, dropping her opportunity to be on the Cannes. Even the voice for the mistress of husband was voiced by Kidman, which brought buzz due to the amount of people that wanted to see the film.
